Mickey Mor's / Over the Waterfall

Subject: Mickey Mor's / Over the Waterfall
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 26 Dec 19 - 04:27 PM

Listening to Travelling Folk - Music for Winter I was surprised to hear what sounded very like the A-part of Over the Waterfall as the B-part of an Irish tune Mickey Mor's. Rather than scan the BBC programme, the latter can be found more easily here. Just one more instance of a travelling tune, I suppose, but quite a striking one.

Subject: RE: Mickey Mor's / Over the Waterfall
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 Dec 19 - 04:40 PM

The original of both was probably the English tune "The Girl with the Blue Dress On".

Subject: RE: Mickey Mor's / Over the Waterfall
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 27 Dec 19 - 02:09 AM

Do you mean the Dark Girl Dressed in Blue? I've always thought of the Girl with the Blue Dress as being an entirely different tune. Of course there's no reason why a tune shouldn't have more than one name.

Subject: RE: Mickey Mor's / Over the Waterfall
From: Jack Campin
Date: 27 Dec 19 - 04:57 AM

Yes, you're right.

Subject: RE: Mickey Mor's / Over the Waterfall
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 27 Dec 19 - 06:19 AM

OK, so we have a third tune that is similar, and thanks for identifying that. Is Dark Girl Dressed in Blue definitely the original or is that supposition?

Subject: RE: Mickey Mor's / Over the Waterfall
From: GUEST,LynnH
Date: 30 Dec 19 - 03:45 AM

Alan Jabbour (Hollow Rock String Band) considered 'Waterfall' to be a reworking of an english tune 'The Job of Journeywork'
That's sleeve note culture for you!

As to 'Dark Girl Dressed in Blue', I learnt it from a recording of the Donegal fiddler Johnny Doherty.

Subject: RE: Mickey Mor's / Over the Waterfall
From: Jack Campin
Date: 30 Dec 19 - 03:54 PM

The Job of Journeywork features in book 3 of Aird's collection. Dunno where Aird said it came from: I thought that (under that title) it was Irish.

Fleischmann's Sources of Irish Traditional Music might have something to say about it.